Unbeknownst to many of us geeks, LED lights have uses beyond telling you when a gadget is on or making your workspace look cool in the dark—they also can provide great mood lighting for your summer deck parties.

Tackling a project this big can be intimidating, but the hardest part of the whole thing is probably figuring out how much LED light to buy and the most efficient way to lay it out (hence why the first and longest step in the linked instructions is "draw schematics"). After that, all you need are some simple tools like wire cutters and a drill (and, of course, a long rope of cool, color-changing LEDs). Some soldering is required in this set of instructions, but if you're not experienced with this more advanced DIY skill, there are many types of LED rope lights that have all sorts of different pre-made connectors available (such as those at LEDRopeLightsAndMore.com). Hit the link for the full instructions. If you've tried this before (or have any other tips for spicing up deck parties), let us know in the comments!